Monday, 1 May 2017

PWC Tick fest

I was granted a couple of hours to go birding this afternoon as news of bird after bird trickled in at Flamborough. My wife could see I was starting to get angsty and sent me on my way. The main cause of my interest was a female Garganey on the outer head. This is a potentially difficult bird and the lack of one in late March, early April meant that I wasn't optimistic that it was a species I would connect with. I managed brief views on Head Farm Pond and saw Andy Hood there. In amongst the cloud of hirundines were a number of House Martins which were also new. A quick stop at roadside flash provided a Green Sandpiper wading in the shallows with a brace of Pheasants.

I knew I had limited time and to make the most of it I headed to Thornwick Pools. I opened the car door to a rattling Lesser Whitethroat which was my first PWC one for 2017. At the pools I could hear a cacophony of several acros and Sedge Warbler was easy to untangle. After a while I saw and heard a Reed Warbler. In amongst a few Pied Wagtails was a single female Yellow Wagtail and also a distant White Wagtail. The final new bird of the flying visit was a Common Sandpiper which dropped back in after 20 minutes or so. Also knocking about were 5 Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Snipe and 1 Little Ringed Plover. Garganey, Common Sand and Green Sandpiper are new birds for the headland taking me to 187. Also up to 122 species/149 points on the head.